Gringa en Nica

The first weekend in May I went to visit Jordan in Leon and met up with Katie too! They are both from my group and it was great to have a girls' weekend. We went to the pool, went out dancing, cooked, and experienced the Corinto Seafood Festival which turned out to be a flop. Oh well it was a fun weekend anyways!

Leon is one of the spots tourists hit when they come to Nicaragua. Like Granada, it's an old colonial town and has countless old buildings and churches. It was also home to the Liberals during the Civil War of the 1930s. Factoid: My host dad's father was killed in that war when Dr. Carlos was only 6 years old. In addition, Leon is really really really HOT! I almost died there! Even at night it doesn't cool down very much...hence I appreciate the mountains of Madriz very much.

We went out for Angie's birthday, a SBD 41 PCV, to a really delicious Nica restaurant in Leon. We were really surprised how good the food was!

When two Katies are together they make Katii

Katie, Jordan, Katie

Just say NO!

Angie got to play the bongos for her bday

That was really good chocolate cake right Jordan?

DSL, "estás embarazada"...ummm, no...es que tengo panza, "pues que linda!"
Only in Nicaragua

Birthday girl Angie and Me

Hostess Jordan in her super cute apartment

Dianne was there too!

And around Leon the next day...the Leon Cathedral

It's pretty old...1500s I think

You can't come to Leon without posing with a Lion! ("Leon" is lion in Spanish if you didn't know)

GAWRRRRRRR

Good pose Jordan!

I've seen better cathedrals, but it was nice.

At the back of the Cathedral there was a nice garden.

The old bell...

A fountain...

We went to the disappointing Seafood Festival in Corinto the next day. Note to self: When Nicaraguans advertise a grand food festival, sadly it probably won't be that great.

The Katii again

The clock tower that Katie said was straight out of Willie Wonka

"It is prohibited to drop passengers off at the Victoria Brewery" - National Police

When Katie comes to your house, she cooks!

Today I wanted to post some pictures that just have to deal with regular life in Somoto. Granted the U.S. Ambassador doesn't come all the time, but we have random people like that visit the Oratorios all the time.

I have to admit, I live a great life with my host family and I really enjoy being around them. I will download actual pictures of them soon, currently the pix of them are in my camera...I've got a great one of Dr. Carlos in his shorts that I'll put up later this week.

Thanks to Jan and Amanda for sending me mail!

I have my own entrance...soooooo nice! My room used to be the waiting room for the Doctor's office.

#1, no I did not bring that huge elk rug from the U.S. to put on my wall.

#2 That rolly stand was given to me by Matt and Jess, thank you guys again! I love that thing.

My closet, luckily I'm not an accessories person.

Photos on the left side, so when I fall asleep I see all my friends and family, the blue poster Kristin made me while visiting in February, Peace Corps map, and PC logo I drew myself.

Thank you everyone for all the cards!

Drawings by the kids in Cusmapa.

My airconditioner is a fan by the window.

My bathroom, which is situated in the room next to mine (no one lives there usually), so I have my own sink, shower and toliet.

Hallway

Walkway in the garden

El Tanque: the reason why we never run out of water

Outside patio in the back of the house

The machine that has changed my Nica lifestyle forever...instead of 4 hours to do my laundry, it only takes 40 minutes. I love life!

Dora our housekeeper in the kitchen

Dining Room

Living room, yes we have cable (it's the basic 20 channels...so there!)

The living room that is next to an open patio

The sitting room that never gets used unless there are special guests

Some of my basil plants, they smell so yummy

Vanessa (8 years old) dresses up for the Ambassador's visit! She is my favorite elementary kid!

U.S. Ambassador Robert Callahan came to visit Fabretto in May. I've met him before and he remembered me, so that was nice. He is a big supporter of Peace Corps so I really like him for that. However, what Fabretto expositioned this day was not a reality of how the Oratorio actually runs. I understand they wanted to show the good that Fabretto has the capability of accomplishing, but I still felt they covered up the truth. All in all, it was a successful networking event for me and I now have contacts in the U.S.AID office and one of their contracting firms RTI.

He played ball for 2 minutes with the girls...sadly the girls NEVER play softball (I always try to get them out on the field), it was a staged lie in my book.

Nozomi, my Japanese roommate, made a strawberry pie one night! Yum! They are cultivating strawberries in Las Sabanas, about 1 hour into the mountains.

Lauren, Pedro, Me...friends make PC service bearable

Pedro (our favorite Spaniard) used to live with Callie, Lauren and I in Cusmapa. Now he lives east coast of Nicaragua in Laguna de Perlas and he comes to visit once in awhile. I miss Pedro!

My classroom during recess, so most of my students are outside at this moment.

Some of my students didn't have to go to school one day because they were helping in the "Teleton" which is an all-day fundraiser for disabled children (modeled after the Jerry Lewis Telethon); I gave them 20 cordobas ($1) which I thought was generous. The pessimist in me wonders how much of that money actually got to the national fund, not that my kids would steal, but I'm sure the people organizing it would get sticky fingers.